A curtain wall generally includes a plurality of juxtaposed panels secured to a supporting framework and which together often form an exterior wall of a building. Each panel can be made of one or more materials, such as glass, metal, stone and many others, depending on the desired architectural aspect and the function of each panel. A curtain wall can have identical panels or have a plurality of different types of panels. These panels are generally connected to beams, called mullions, each mullion being part of the supporting framework of the curtain wall. The supporting framework is itself anchored or otherwise attached to a base structure, for instance a building structure. A curtain wall often spans multiple floors. Other applications and configurations also exist.
Some curtain walls may need to be refurbished after some time. For instance, the owner of a building may want to renew the water-tightness of an existing curtain wall, to refresh its outside esthetical aspect or to improve its heat insulation characteristics. Many other factors may also prompt the owner of a building to refurbish an existing curtain wall.
Some curtain wall refurbishments can require that the existing curtain wail be entirely dismounted before installing a new one. This includes removing the supporting framework of the existing curtain wall by which the other parts of the curtain wall were attached to the base structure. Once the existing supporting framework is removed, a new supporting framework is anchored to the base structure and the other parts of the new curtain wall are installed thereafter. However, the removal of an existing supporting framework and the installation of a new supporting framework can be very labor intensive and time consuming. Also, even when only the panels (for instance glazing units) of an existing curtain wall are being replaced, the thorough cleaning that must be done to remove the previous sealant beads before new panels are installed can be very labor intensive and time consuming.
Room for improvements thus exists in this area of technology.